Tonight the Russian Navy cruiser Marshal Ustinov entered the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. The Ustinov is a Slava-class cruiser designed during the Soviet Union as “anti-ship rocket cruiser (RKR).”
The Russian unit is not alone. The destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) is shadowing the Russian ship at a distance of about 5 miles. Roosevelt is the 30th ship in the Arleigh Burke-class of Aegis Guided Missile Destroyers.
Both units are sailing eastwards at a speed of about 10 knots.
The Ustinov is the umpteenth Russian unit to enter the Mediterranean in recent weeks as part of a series of exercises to be carried out between the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, closely linked to the increased tension linked to the Ukrainian situation.